1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices which provide measurement of the rotation of a shaft, and more particularly, devices which provide real-time information concerning the instantaneous position, alignment, velocity and acceleration of a rotating shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices which measure shaft position and rotation are known in the art. Principally, the optical shaft encoder has been utilized to measure such a shaft position or location. The optical shaft encoder includes a disk which has a plurality of apertures located in a radial fashion about the disk circumference. The disk is placed intermediate a light source, generally a diode, and a light detector. As the disk rotates, electric pulses are generated by the light detector which are measured and processed to determine shaft rotation.
Thus, while it is known to use disk devices to measure position, alignment and rotation of a shaft, the provision of employing a disk with a varying slot continuous about the circumference of the disk is not provided. No prior art discloses a sensor which includes a slotted disk element which attenuates an emission flux generated by an emission source. No prior art considers utilizing such a simple and cost effective device to measure position, alignment and rotation of shafts in general. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.